


eye of the storm

by consuwu



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Happy Ending, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Road Trips, Romance, Storm - Freeform, broganes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 21:32:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14819261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consuwu/pseuds/consuwu
Summary: everyone knows keith and lance are pining for each other, except, of course, them.(in which keith and lance end up stuck inside a hotel room for a weekend because of a storm.)





	eye of the storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OLYN](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=OLYN).



> hello whaddap i'm consu and i made this as a birthday present for one of my twitter friends, olyn <3 SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLYN I LOVE YOU!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS!
> 
> i'd also like to give a shout out to my beta reader, naya (@acxally on twitter)... thanks for being so patient with me i love you lots <3

**Eye of the Storm**

 

The storm hadn’t even peaked yet, but Keith was soaking wet. A shiver ran down his spine, and he looked at the elevator floor: there was a small puddle forming around his shoes. He could see his reflection in the mirrored walls, his black hair flattened against his head, and all he could think of was what Lance was going to say when he caught a glimpse of Keith.

 

Probably something along the lines of “are you impersonating a coconut?”.

 

With a _ding_ , the elevator arrived at the third, and last, floor of the building. Keith took out his key card, and unlocked the door. It wasn’t an easy job, considering he was carrying a pizza box on one hand.

 

“Keith? Is that you?” The voice came from the bathroom.

 

Keith left the box on the only table of the room, and shrugged off his jacket. Various droplets hit the carpet, a small scale imitation of what was going on outside.

 

“No, I’m a thief. I’m here to rob you,” Keith deadpanned. Lance came out of the bathroom with a raised eyebrow, which he dropped as soon as he got a view of Keith.

 

“Oh my God.”

 

Keith walked to the thermostat, adding a few degrees to it. He felt like an ice cube from head to toes, and he was sure that he’d end up catching a cold.

 

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, concern tinting his tone.

 

There was no trace of humor in his voice, which was odd. That meant that Keith had to look really awful.

 

“Yes.” Keith tried to speak, but it came out as more of a teeth chattering than an actual word.

 

“You’re clearly not, Keith,” Lance caught Keith by the wrist, and pushed him forward, towards the bathroom. “Take a hot shower. Now. Before you catch hypothermia.”

 

“Don’t tell me what to do…”

 

“Oh, I will. And you will listen. This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t so hardheaded.”

 

Keith narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. He decided that, for once, Lance could be correct. Keith’s limbs were freezing, and a shower didn’t sound half as bad.

 

“Fine.”

 

He stepped into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. The last thing he saw was Lance’s worried expression before he closed the door.

 

When he came out, he was feeling like a new person. Keith’s body temperature had recovered to a normal level, and his skin was tingly because of the warm water.

 

He was wearing only a towel around his waist, and Lance looked at him for a second before averting his gaze. Keith could swear his cheeks had a pink shade, but he wanted to get dressed while he still felt the heat of the shower, so he didn’t have time to check further.

 

“Are you done?” Lance asked, after a few minutes. He was still making a point of _not looking._

 

“Just a sec.” Keith put on his shirt. “Done.”

 

Lance turned to him. “You feel better?”

 

Keith nodded and sat on the edge of his bed. The room he was sharing with Lance had two small beds, but at least they were comfortable. Although he had noticed that, being taller than him, Lance’s feet tended to come out from the bottom of the bed.

 

“Are you eating the pizza?” Keith asked, after a moment of silence. The only audible thing was the faint sound of the rain on the hotel’s window, and the howls of the wind.

 

The newscast had been warning people about the storm for a while now. They had said that it would last for the whole weekend, and that it wouldn’t only be accompanied by rain and wind, but by lightning and thunder as well.

 

Keith knew Lance wasn’t a big fan of thunder. Or storms, in general.

 

“What did you get?” Lance said, eyeing the pizza suspiciously. 

 

“Don’t worry. It’s pineapple free.”

 

Lance didn’t need a further invitation. He gulped a whole piece before realizing that Keith wasn’t eating.

 

“Don’t you want some?”

 

Keith shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

 

“Then why on Earth did you go out during a _storm_ just to get a pizza?”

 

“You said you were hungry,” Keith said, as if it was the most obvious thing. Lance swallowed what he had in his mouth, and looked at him with softer eyes.

 

Keith felt uncomfortable under his deep stare, so he turned away. Outside, the eco of thunder roared, startling both boys.

 

“Looks like it has finally started” Lance commented, going back to eating.

 

Keith stared out the window for a moment. From there, he had a clear view of the street. It was almost empty, but some brave pedestrians were still fighting against the wind like Keith had done half an hour ago.

 

He closed the curtain, and picked up the remote control. He tried pressing the “on/off” button, but the black screen didn’t light up.

 

Keith then tried turning the lights on. The room remained unaffected, with the little light that filtered through the window as the only illumination. Keith sighed.

 

“The hotel is out of power.”

 

“Yeah, I noticed.” Was Lance’s response. He’d eaten at least half of the pizza by then.

 

“What should we do?”

 

“I don’t know. Wait?” Lance closed the box, and went to lie down on his bed.

 

A stronger, much closer thunder resonated through the thin crystals of the room, and Lance’s back went stiff. Keith understood he had to keep Lance’s mind busy, and focused on something else, before the storm started to freak him out.

 

“Wanna play cards?” He suggested.

 

Lance still appeared to be worried, but he nodded anyways. Keith stood for a second in front of his bed, before swallowing and siting as far away from Lance as he could.

 

“Do you know how to play Speed?”

 

Lance’s grimace turned into a small smile. “My sister taught me.”

 

“Good. You’re gonna loose, though.” If there was one thing Lance could never turn down, it was a challenge. So, in order to keep him distracted, Keith needed to turn the game into just that.

 

“Oh, you really think that, Kogane?” Lance bit the hook, and his smile even turned wider and more confident. Keith felt his own lips curve upwards too.

 

“I don’t think it. I’m certain.”

 

“Yeah, well, it’s on then.”

 

They played cards for more than an hour. Keith was able to keep Lance busy by beating him multiple times. That was, until Lance studied his way of playing for long enough to beat him.

 

Once Lance started winning, it was over for Keith. The boy was unbeatable.

 

“So, what’s that? The fifth time in a row that I’ve beat your ass?”

 

“Shut up,” Keith said, although he wasn’t angry. Lance started collecting the cards, and he let out a big yawn while doing so.

 

“Maybe we should go to bed.” Keith suggested. He checked his phone: no service, but it still had some remaining battery that allowed him to check the time. “It’s ten o’ clock.”

 

“I don’t wanna go to bed so early.” Lance complained.

 

“There isn’t much more we can do until the storm passes.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes, but he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth anyways. Keith followed him.

 

Once they were both ready to sleep, they settled on their respective beds. The rain outside had escalated, and instead of hearing a faint whisper of it like before, they could hear loud bangs. The lightning was peaking too, followed closely by thunder.

 

“Good night, Keith.”

 

“Good night, Lance.” Keith’s muscles began relaxing against the soft mattress, and his eyes closed themselves by inertia.

 

*** * ***

 

He was woken up by the strike of a loud thunder, and for an instant, he could see a good portion of the room being lightened up by the electricity ray that hit somewhere along the city.

 

Keith was ready to go back to sleep when he noticed a dark figure standing close to his bed.

 

“Hey, man…”

 

“Jesus Christ, Lance!” Keith sat up in his bed, clutching his booming chest. “Were you trying to give me a heart attack?”

 

Lance shifted awkwardly. “No.”

 

“Then what are you doing standing there? Go lay down on your bed or something.”

 

“I-I…” Lance began, staring at the floor. He had a pillow hanging from one of his hands. “Okay.” He agreed finally, strolling back to his bed in what seemed to be…disappointment?

 

“Wait, Lance.” Keith called him, softer this time.

 

“Yes?” He stopped before reaching his bed.

 

“Where you trying to ask me something before I interrupted you?”

 

Lance hesitated. He clutched the pillow closer to his chest. “Uh… no. It’s okay. I was just being dumb…”

 

“Lance.”

 

“No, really…”

 

“Lance.” Keith’s voice got firmer.

 

Lance sighed. “Fine. I was gonna ask if I…if I could sleep with you.” Keith’s eyes went wide. Lance was quick to read his expression. “No, no! I mean it in a fall asleep kind of way. The storm is getting stronger and I…”

 

But he didn’t have to finish the sentence. Keith comprehended it: he was scared to sleep alone. He doubted his answer for a second. The truth was that getting Lance into his bed might not be the best idea, and things could get…awkward, considering it was such a small bed.

 

However, Keith realized that, if he didn’t help Lance, he probably wouldn’t be able to live with himself. Knowing that he had missed his chance to…No, he steered his mind away from that line of thoughts. 

 

He just didn’t have the heart to leave Lance abandoned, given the situation. So, instead of replying, he just lifted up the covers of his bed. Not before gasping a little, Lance took that sign as his queue to sink into his roommates bed.

 

Keith ended up on the left side of the bed, a small portion of his body nearly falling off just so he wouldn’t be in contact, under any circumstances, with Lance. Despite the space being now crumped, Keith kind of appreciated it. Lance’s warmth fully surrounded him after a few minutes, and even though they weren’t touching, he felt hyperaware of their closeness.

 

“You better now?” Keith asked, mostly to distract himself from the fact that despite his efforts, Lance was mere inches away from him. And he smelled like he always did: like vanilla and pine trees. Keith didn’t know how to describe it, but it was a unique smell… very Lance.

 

Lance nodded into his pillow.

 

Keith tried to relax, but it was hard considering his mind kept wondering back to the same thing: the boy beside him.

 

“Why do storms scare you?”

 

The question hanged in the air for a few beats. For the first time, Lance didn’t seem to have enough energy to deny a fact that Keith had picked up on a long time ago.

 

“When I was little, I lived in New Orleans.” Keith remained still: he already knew that about Lance. “New Orleans is known for being susceptible to hurricanes.”

 

Keith listened to his voice carefully. It was soft and soothing. Barely a whisper.

 

“I’ve never seen anything like it, honestly. There was water everywhere, and wind, and trees falling and cables dropping… entire houses destroyed…”

 

Without any need for details, Keith recognized it: Lance was talking about Hurricane Katrina. One of the most atrocious natural disasters to ever occur.

 

“I was only a kid, so I don’t remember much. I remember being scared, though. And my parents as well. My mom… my mom cried a lot. Specially when our house got destroyed. My dad cried once.”

 

Lance wasn’t looking at him, even in the dark Keith could discern that. He was staring towards the window.

 

“We were lucky, compared to what happened to other families. I know that. But…ever since that, storms scare me.” He sounded mad at himself. Like it was his fault.

 

Suddenly, Keith was upset too. He didn’t want Lance to feel that way. It didn’t feel right.

 

“It’s not your fault, Lance. Everyone has fears. It’s not something you can control.”

 

Lance didn’t say anything. He just remained stiff. Keith got a little bit closer, just the tiniest bit, enough to touch his shoulder.

 

A chill ran down Lance’s spine when Keith’s hand found him, but he didn’t push it away.

 

“Seriously. I can’t… I can’t imagine what you must’ve gone through. And I’m really sorry that you did. But… but this fear isn’t something you need to feel ashamed of. Please don’t feel ashamed.”

 

Keith could almost hear all the self-doubting thoughts going through Lance’s brain, so he took a precipitate decision.

“I’m afraid of butterflies.”

 

Lance gave him a weird look. Keith tried to explain himself.

 

“When we were little, Takashi and I got caught in the middle of a butterfly migration. There were hundreds of them, and we were surrounded for a few minutes. One got stuck in my nose.”

 

“So… you’re afraid of butterflies?”

 

“Yes. Sorry that it’s not as deep as your story… I feel kind of dumb now.”

 

Lance didn’t speak for so long, that Keith thought he had fallen asleep. He was surprised when what came out of his mouth was a subtle laugh.

 

“What?” Keith asked, confused.

 

“I think this is the most I’ve heard you talk at once.”

 

Keith couldn’t help but laugh too. “It’s a privilege most people don’t have the opportunity to experience.”

 

“Guess I’m really lucky then.” Lance finally turned around, and his face ended up aligned with Keith’s. They were close enough for Keith to tell where Lance’s eyes and mouth were.

 

Keith swallowed.

 

“We better sleep. I bet Shiro’s gonna start calling as soon as the service is back.”

 

Keith nodded in agreement, with his gaze still on Lance.

 

“Good night, Keith.”

 

“Good night, Lance.”

 

*** * ***

 

This time, when Keith woke up, he could tell it was daytime.

 

The storm still hadn’t passed, he knew that by the faint sound of rain striking the window, but there was some light filtering through the curtains.

 

He yawned, stretching his arms in the process. Except, his right arm wouldn’t budge, and a weird tingly sensation cut through his muscles.

 

He opened his eyes, alarmed, only to end up swallowing a loud gasp.

 

There, on top of his arm and near his shoulder, a head rested peacefully. Lance had his eyelids closed, his lips slightly parted while he breathed through his mouth.

 

Even though he was kind of freaking out, Keith stared at him. Not a _sneak peak_ stare. He truly stared, letting himself absorb every detail on Lance’s face. There wasn’t much light in the room, considering the curtains where closed and the sky was most likely cloudy, but it was enough for Keith.

 

He started with Lance’s hair. Shiny as always, it was currently sticking on every possible direction, and Keith was positive he was one of those people that had crazy bed hair in the morning. He smiled a little at the thought.

 

His eyes traveled from Lance’s long lashes, to his long pointy nose. There, he took his time admiring every freckle that adorned his skin. His fingers ached to touch him, to draw lines on Lance’s freckles, but Keith abstained. He didn’t want to wake up Lance.

 

Not yet.

 

He continued staring, until he reached his lips. They were thin but rosy, and they appeared to be very soft. Keith was mesmerized, he couldn’t look away…

 

His phone rang.

 

Very loudly.

 

And on the night table closer to Lance.

 

“Keith?” Lance asked, his voice thick with sleep. Keith cursed under his breath.

 

Lance took a few seconds to realize their current positions, and how they had been very clearly cuddling each other during the night. He tried to get away from Keith, only to end up nearly falling off the mattress.

 

Keith picked up the phone with a groan.

 

“What?”

 

“Wow. Someone’s in a bad mood.”

 

“Can you blame me?” Keith checked the time in his phone. “You’re calling at 8 AM on a Sunday.”

 

Takashi chuckled from the other side of the phone. “It was my duty as a brother to check on you. Are you okay? They said the storm was pretty bad last night.” His tone had changed from playful to very serious in just a few words.

 

Keith ignored Lance’s deep stare. “Yes. We’re okay. _Nothing_ happened.” He made sure to put an emphasis on “nothing”.

 

“We?”

 

“Uh… Lance and I.”

 

“Oh. Are you sleeping on the same room?”

 

“Uh…”

 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Takashi was teasing him, and Keith was sure the blush climbing through his neck would give him away in front of Lance.

 

“It’s not what you think. It’s not like we’re together or anything.” Keith made a point of avoiding Lance’s stare _at all costs._ He had gone through enough embarrassment already.

 

“Yeah, but last time I checked you had a huge crush on him…”

 

“Goodbye, Takashi.”

 

“But Keith–“

 

“I said goodbye.” And he hanged up. 

 

Lance had a small grin playing in the corner of his lips. The same lips that Keith had thoughtfully admired less than five minutes ago.

 

“Your brother?” Keith nodded. Lance continued: “Was he calling to check on us?”

 

“Yeah. You know Takashi, he’s always worrying.”

 

“He always worrying about _you_ ,” Lance corrected.

 

Keith wasn’t in the mood to talk about his brother. Especially since it was Takashi’s fault that Lance wasn’t wrapped in his arms anymore. If there was one thing Takashi did flawlessly, it was interrupting at the most inopportune moments.

 

“I should get dressed” Keith stood up.

 

He could feel Lance’s stare burning a whole through his skull while he rummaged his suitcase for something appropriate to wear. When Keith turned around, Lance’s presence, close behind him, made him drop a pair of socks.

 

“Jesus, Lance.”

 

“I need to tell you something.” Lance was playing with the hem of his shirt. He seemed nervous. Keith’s curiosity peaked.

 

“What?”

 

Lance opened his mouth. An obnoxious ringtone came out.

 

_Keith’s phone was ringing again._

“Are you serious?” Angrily, Keith picked up the device and nearly slammed it against his ear. “What now?”

 

“Well. Someone’s in a bad mood.”

 

Keith groaned when Pidge’s voice came through the other side of the line. He sent Lance an apologetic look, while the boy just stood there, shifting uncomfortably. Keith needed to make the phone call as short as possible, so Lance wouldn’t regret speaking up. He had a feeling that, whatever Lance was about to say before they got interrupted, it was something important.

 

“Yes, I am. What do you want?”

 

Pidge laughed. “Call down, Mr. Grumpypants. I didn’t call you just so we could chat. I actually have something to tell you.”

 

Pidge was his best friend, but, for their sake, Keith hoped that it wasn’t all just a ruse. “What?”

 

“Okay you might wanna sit down for this. Are you sitting?”

 

“Yes” Keith lied.

 

“Alright so I know your little road trip with Lance got delayed because of the storm.”

 

“It’s not a road trip, Pidge. We are just travelling together to the same city.”

 

“Yeah, yeah whatever, same thing. Here’s the catch: Hunk came to my house yesterday. You know, Lance’s best friend?”

 

“I’m familiar with him.” Keith said, dryly.

 

“Well, he got a bit…drunk. And he told me some things that I probably shouldn’t be telling you, but I felt that as your BFF, it was my duty to let you know.”

 

Keith pricked up his ear. The situation was getting more and more interesting by the second, and he almost forgot that Lance wanted to tell him something too.

 

“Lance has a crush on you. He was gonna ask you out during the road trip. I wish I’d known this earlier but…“

 

Pidge kept on talking, but Keith wasn’t listening to them anymore. His eyes searched for Lance. He was still standing awkwardly near Keith’s suitcase.

 

“I’m sorry, Pidge. But I need to go.”

 

“What? You’re really no going to say anything after what I just told you–“ For the second time that day, Keith hanged up.

 

Keith’s grey eyes met Lance’s blue ones. “What were you going to tell me?” He asked, his voice raw with emotion. He could also feel his heart beating rapidly inside his chest.

 

“I-I…” Lance begun. Then, just like it had happened during the night, he backed down. “It was nothing. Just a silly thought.”

 

“Lance.” Keith took a step towards him.

 

Lance shook his head. “It’s nothing, really. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

 

“Lance.” Another step. And then another. He was finally in front of Lance, but the boy was trying to avoid his gaze.

 

As if in a courage trance, Keith reached out and grabbed Lance’s chin with delicacy. He raised Lance’s face until their eyes met again. Lance neck was slightly hunched down though, considering that he was taller than Keith.

 

“I…I like you too.”

 

As soon as the words were out, Keith felt vulnerable. What if… what if Pidge had been wrong? What if they were just messing with him? Perhaps he had done the wrong thing by being too impulsive.

 

While Lance just stood there, without reacting, the idea that he (beautiful, caring, and unreachable Lance) had a crush on him (just plain Keith) seemed more and more unlikely.

 

Keith took a step backwards. “I’m sorry. I…I didn’t mean to…I’ll just go.” But before Keith could get away, Lance grabbed him by his sleeve.

 

The only warning Keith got was Lance’s relieved grin before his lips brushed his own. Lance tasted as sweet as he smelled, and Keith felt like he could melt into him. His hands went to Lance’s hips, bringing him closer, while Lance’s fingers explored Keith’s hair.

 

Keith felt like he was truly breathing for the first time in months.

 

How long had he been hiding his feelings for Lance? He couldn’t even remember. And now… it was happening. It was finally happening and Keith couldn’t get enough of it.

 

“Pidge told you, didn’t they?” Lance broke the kiss, remaining close. Just like Keith, he was breathless.

 

Keith smiled a little. “Uh, yeah. They kinda did.”

 

Lance shook his head, but his expression got fonder anyways. “I would say I want to kill Hunk for that but… It’s actually quite the opposite.”

 

And then he kissed Keith again. And again. And again. _And again._

“Should we go get breakfast or something?” Lance asked, after what were maybe minutes or even hours. Keith had completely lost track of time.

 

“No.” Keith pulled Lance closer. Lance let out a deep laugh, making the weakest attempt at escaping Keith’s grip.

 

“Keith, I’m serious.”

 

“So am I.”

 

Lance cupped his cheeks with his long fingers. “As much as I want to keep you here, I also don’t want you to starve. You’d be useless then.” He joked.

 

Keith nuzzled himself between Lance’s jaw and shoulder. Lance’s arms hugged him.

 

“C’mon. Let’s go. Before someone else calls again.”

 

Keith groaned. “Fine. Should we go in our pajamas though?”

 

“Yeah, I don’t feel like changing.” Lance handed him his jacket, while putting on his own coat. “What do you wanna eat?”

 

“I’m pretty sure that the only thing opened is that pizza shop from yesterday.” 

 

“That’s fine. I don’t mind pizza for breakfast.” Then, like the thought just came to him: “Hey, Keith. Remember when you crossed a storm just to get me a pizza?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “You’re gonna tell Pidge and Hunk about that, aren’t you?”

 

Lance grinned mischievously, but Keith didn’t mind. He enjoyed watching him and his ridiculous (but cute) expressions. He sighed in fake disapproval. Lance laughed and got ahead of him. Then, he extended his arm. “Are you coming or not?”

 

Without a doubt, Keith entwined his fingers with Lance’s. “I can’t believe this is the second time I’m crossing a storm for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> my voltron twitter: @queenromelle 
> 
> my writer twitter: @consuwwu


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